Benchmarking Working Europe 2006

Moving Europe towards the knowledge-based society and gender equality: policies and performances

To what extent is Europe moving towards the EU's vision of the knowledge-based society (KBS) with better quality jobs and gender equality? The underlying force believed to be driving the transition to the KBS is the growing use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), creating economic growth and social progress. However, there is no consensus as to what kind of society the KBS encompasses and what its implications may be in terms of gender equality.

Delivering the Lisbon goals: The role of macroeconomic policy

What role should macroeconomic policy play in achieving the economic and employment goals that the European Union set itself at the Lisbon Council in 2000? The conventional wisdom is that macroeconomic policy must be solely oriented towards ensuring price stability, and that the goal of ?more and better jobs? simply requires ?more and more structural reforms?. The contributions to this book are varied, but they are united in rejecting this view.

Minimum wages in Europe

The political and economic changes of the last twenty years have forged new challenges for minimum wage systems in all countries and it has been impossible, in many cases, to prevent an increase in low-paid workers and working poor. Not only does this situation call for a revision of national minimum wage policies in many countries but it also demands stronger international coordination.

Employment policy from different angles

Employment policy has become high politics. Expectations are high. So are the dilemmas in reaching balanced and robust solutions. The main theme of this book is whether employment policy can deliver and live up to the high expectations.

Publisher: DJØF Publishing, Copenhagen

What price the euro?

How are the policy choices related to euro adoption by the new central and eastern European (CEE) member states made? To what extent are they formulated in public debate and through national social dialogue? And what is the potential impact of euro-zone accession on aspects such as economic growth, wages, social protection and employment growth? These are the central questions addressed by this volume which presents in-depth analysis of the current situation in each of the new CEE member states, as well as an introductory and comparative overview.

Macroeconomic policy coordination in Europe and the role of the trade unions

Successful macroeconomic policies as seen in some countries demonstrate that more growth and employment are possible, but monetary, wage and fiscal policy have to work in combination.

Are activation policies converging in Europe? The European Employment Strategy for young people

This book sets out to analyse the extent to which the discourse of activation, and its practice as advocated by the European institutions, has exerted an influence on national policies, and to establish whether or not we are witnessing a process of convergence of the different activation models.

Equal pay and gender mainstreaming in the European Employment Strategy

The aims of this book are to discuss and identify the main obstacles to progress in implementing policies to tackle pay gaps, to assess whether gender mainstreaming is an appropriate means of removing these obstacles, as well as to seek to establish the extent to which policy developments designed to achieve equal pay are – or not – the result of the European employment strategy.

Five years' experience of the Luxembourg employment strategy

This book aims to identify the main strengths and weaknesses of the EES, considered from the standpoints of efficiency and justice. It also analyses the strategy’s impact on both overall policy approaches and specific measures designed to combat unemployment and enhance labour market participation.